Catesbeiana Is Published Twice a Year by the Virginia Herpetological Society
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BULLETIN INFORMATION Catesbeiana is published twice a year by the Virginia Herpetological Society. Membership is open to all individuals interested in the study of amphibians and reptiles and includes a subscription to Catesbeiana, two newsletters, and admission to all meetings. Annual dues for regular membership are $15.00 (see application form on last page for other membership categories). Payments received after September 1 of any given year will apply to membership for the following calendar year. Dues are payable to: Dr. Paul Sattler, VHS Secretary/Treasurer, Department of Biology, Liberty University, 1971 University Blvd., Lynchburg, VA 24502. HERPETOLOGICAL ARTWORK Herpetological artwork is welcomed for publication in Catesbeiana. If the artwork has been published elsewhere, we will need to obtain copyright before it can be used in an issue. We need drawings and encourage members to send us anything appropriate, especially their own work. EDITORIAL POLICY The principal function of Catesbeiana is to publish observations and original research about Virginia herpetology. Rarely will articles be reprinted in Catesbeiana after they have been published elsewhere. All correspondence relative to the suitability of manuscripts or other editorial matters should be directed to Dr. Steven M. Roble, Editor, Catesbeiana, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, 217 Governor Street, Richmond, VA 23219. Major Papers Manuscripts submitted for publication should be typewritten (double-spaced) on good quality SY2 by 11 inch paper, with adequate margins. Consult the style of articles in this issue for additional information, including the appropriate format for literature citations. The metric system should be used for reporting all types of measurement data. Computer diskettes (Word or WordPerfect format) are desired for longer papers. Submissions concerning the herpetofauna of selected areas, such as a park, city or county, should be prepared in article rather than field note format. Articles will be refereed by the editor and one or more qualified reviewers. All changes must be approved by the author before publication; therefore, manuscripts must be received by the editor before March 1 and September 1 to be considered for publication in the spring and fall issue, respectively, of Catesbeiana. Reprints of articles are not available, but authors may reprint their own articles to meet professional needs. (Editorial policy continued on inside back cover) CATESBEIANA Bulletin of the Virginia Herpetological Society Volume 24___________ Spring 2004_____________ No. 1 Contents Survey of Reptiles and Amphibians in Greensville County, Virginia Jason Daniel Gibson and John White.......................................................3 Is the Red-backed Salamander (Plethoclon cinereus) Encroaching upon Populations of the Peaks of Otter Salamander (P. hubrichti)? Garth Aasen and Norman Reichenbach................................................. 17 Field Notes............................................................................................. 21 Virginia BioBlitz 2004 Notice...............................................................27 Obituary: Roger Conant (1909-2003) Joseph C. Mitchell................................................................................. 28 President’s Comer.................................................................................. 35 Treasurer’s Report................................................................................. 36 Minutes of the Fall 2003 VHS Meeting.................................................37 Spring 2004 Meeting Notice..................................................................40 Next Meeting Staunton River State Park and Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation property May 21-23, 2004 See page 40 for details 1 CATESBEIANA 2004, 24(1) Life Cycle of Pickerel Frog (Ranci palustris) Drawing by Jason Gibson 2 Survey of Reptiles and Amphibians in Greensville County, Virginia Jason Daniel Gibson Division of Arts and Sciences Danville Community College Danville, Virginia 24541 John White 2815 Van Buren Street Arlington, Virginia 22213-1517 Introduction Greensville County is located to the south of Richmond and the east of South Hill in Southside Virginia along the North Carolina border (Fig. 1). The county contains a total land area of 769 km2 (297 mi2) (<0.4% is water) and lies in two physiographic provinces (Coastal Plain in the east and Piedmont in the west). Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 301 bisect the county in a north-south direction and U.S. Route 58 bisects it in an east- west orientation. According to 2000 census data, 11,560 people inhabited this county, making it very rural in comparison to other counties in Virginia. Agriculture and silviculture comprise a large percentage of the occupations and land use in the county. The 2003 VHS spring survey focused on the southeastern portion of the county, which is drained by the Meherrin River and Fontaine Creek (swamp). The Meherrin River is part of the Chowan Basin, which flows to Albemarle Sound. The survey area was entirely within the Coastal Plain portion of the county. The soils in the area are composed of Coastal Plain sediments deposited during higher sea levels of the Pliocene (Frye, 1986). A diversity of habitats are found in this area including upland hardwood forests, pine plantations, streams, vernal pools, road ruts and ditches, man-made ponds, swamps, springs, and riverine floodplain. The geology and hydrology of the county contribute to potentially high biodiversity. Surveys by Hoffman and Mitchell (1996) have well documented the diversity of the anuran fauna of Greensville County. However, limited previous surveys of the county’s salamanders and reptiles have left gaps in our knowledge of these groups. Greensville County was selected as the sampling site for the 2003 VHS spring survey due to the limited surveys Catesbeiana 2004, 24(1): 3-16 3 CATESBE1ANA 2004, 24(1) I 'w Fig. 1. Location of Greensville County, Virginia. conducted in this region of the state and because of the high potential for county records and range extensions for many species. Study Sites (See Fig. 2) Site 1: End of County Route 666 This site was mostly flooded during the survey period. This property has some logged upland areas but most of the area lies in the Meherrin River floodplain. Due to recent heavy rains, the river was out of its banks. Large permanent swamps and vernal pools can also be found on this land. Many hundreds of hectares of farmland and planted forests are also present. Site 2: Gibson farm and cabin Agricultural land, pine plantations, swamps, ponds, a stream, roadside ditches, and riverine floodplain would best characterize this site. Access to much of this site was limited due to flooding. This site is along County Route 730, 4.2 km (2.6 mi) east of its intersection with U.S Route 301. Site 3: International Paper swamp and pine woods This site, located at the intersection of County Routes 622 and 730, is largely a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantation that surrounds a large swamp. Many side ditches and ruts were found on the roads within the property. Site 4: Fontaine Creek Surveyors entered Fontaine Creek (Fountains Creek) near the U.S. Route 301 bridge. This slow-moving creek flows due east into the Meherrin River. This creek/swamp is characterized by black gum (Nyssa sylvatica). Navigation of this body of water is difficult due to the many snags. During low water, travel from U.S. Route 301 downstream to the Meherrin River confluence would be nearly impossible. 4 Greensville County Survey 3 km Fig. 2. Location of survey sites in Greensville County, Virginia. 5 CATESBEIANA 2004, 24(1) Site 5: County Route 676 This route was never viewed during the day so an accurate description is not possible. Roadside ditches and a small pond were seen during stops while road cruising at night. The anuran diversity along this route was impressive. Materials and Methods The survey was conducted from 31 May to 1 June 2003. Four teams of 6-10 people sampled the above-listed sites. Permission to survey sites 1-4 was granted by local landowners and International Paper Company. Terrestrial amphibians and reptiles were sampled by overturning rocks, cobble, logs, leaf litter, bark, and trash piles. Male anurans were detected by listening for vocalizations. Road cruising was conducted each night to collect animals crossing the road and to listen for calling anurans. Aquatic species were found by dipnetting, trapping (turtles), and canoeing. Visual identifications were made in all habitats. Each specimen that was found was recorded, photographed (if needed), observed for unusual behavior, and inspected for abnormalities. Microhabitat was documented for each encounter. Results During the survey 19 species of amphibians (5 salamanders, 14 anurans) and 17 species of reptiles (6 turtles, 3 lizards, 8 snakes) were observed. Of these, Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens (red-spotted newt) was the only species not previously recorded for Greensville County. Slight western range extensions were documented for Nerodia erythrogaster erythrogaster (Red-bellied water snake) and Hyla cinerea (Green treefrog). An annotated checklist of the species found during the survey follows. Numbers in parentheses refer to sampling locations listed above and shown on the map (Fig. 2). Table 1 summarizes the species found at each location. Annotated Checklist Amphibians 1. Ambystoma maculatum (Spotted salamander)